The layer of cloud lay untouched, shifting slightly as was normal, until a foot decorated with an emerald anklet descended onto it. A tiny mini-cloud of fine white powder rose and spiraled into the air around this foot, until it rose again, leaving a footprint that was quickly covered by the surrounding cloud mass. A girl walked towards a huge silver doorway in the heavens, a girl of no more than seventeen, it would appear from first glance. But she was a goddess, goddess of spring, and was thus immortal. Her white linen dress was held in place at her right shoulder by a huge jade pin, a pin given to her by the god of luck. She needed all the luck she could get today, as it was her trial.

Her long, chocolate brown hair flicked slightly in the wind as she walked towards the door, shining in the reflected light. She squinted her dark emerald eyes against the light coming from the doorway, and raised a tan arm to shield them. She entered the room and her sight quickly adjusted, but she did not like what she saw.

Two men and a woman sat in three huge, ornate thrones opposite a plain wooden chair in the room. She recognized the gods immediately. They were the god of battle, the goddess of love, and the god of the seasons. The latter was her boss, and she looked at her feet in reaction to the disappointed look he gave her. She had always been good friends with him and it broke her heart that he was so angry with her. It was just a joke, she reasoned with herself as she sat on the wooden chair and attempted a smile.

"Ariadne Evadine," said the god of battle in a huge, booming voice. "You are charged with the act of creating an extremely unseasonable weather force. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Um…" She began. She had thought of what she would say to her judges beforehand, but now, faced with them all, her mind was a blank. "It was only a joke," she started, smiling broadly in spite of herself. "I thought it'd be a laugh. God of death thought so too, by the by."

"A joke?" shouted the god of battle, standing up and letting his fiery aura blaze across the room. "You created a tidal wave! It killed hundreds of people! You had no authorization to do so. And for the record, just because the god of death thinks it'll be funny doesn't mean you're allowed to kill without the proper authorization."

The goddess of love started to cry. "Do you know how many people were left without fathers, without daughters, without family, without friends? And how I have to feel every single heart breaking when these things happen?" She wiped her face and buried it in her knees, which she had drawn up to her chest.

"I – I know, I just –" Ariadne started.

"No, Ari. I'm afraid this is it. You may not have thought it was that bad, but when you do things like this without authorization, it affects everyone. This is the last straw. I propose a fall from the heavens, to live amongst the common man," said the god of seasons in a solemn voice.

"Seconded," said the god of battle loudly, then looked at the goddess of love, who was making jerking movements while sobbing uncontrollably. "Never mind her for now. I'm afraid this is goodbye, Ariadne. We may let you return to your former position at a time when we see fit, but don't count on it, at least not for an eon or so."

"I'll miss you, Ari-adi," said the god of seasons, using her pet name he had used to call her when she was only a few hundred years old. He looked down and Ariadne realized he too was crying, and then felt moisture on her face and realized she was also crying. The god of battle waved his sword and suddenly the cloud beneath her was not solid like it had always been, it was completely incorporeal and she was falling down to the earth at an alarming rate. Though overcome with emotion, the gods must have put some sort of charm on her because she felt her eyelids inexplicably close…

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This chapter was short because it's just the prologue. The next ones will definitely be longer, and don't worry, we'll see the book's characters soon enough. Next chapter, if my memory serves me correctly. So I guess you'll have to read the next chapter… should be up tomorrow or maybe the day after.